


Hit me like a truck

by GracefulRavenFeathers



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Car Accidents, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders is a Good Friend, Gen, Hurt Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Original Character(s), Protective Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Protective Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, References to Be More Chill, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:35:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22661101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GracefulRavenFeathers/pseuds/GracefulRavenFeathers
Summary: On the way home from play rehearsal, tradgedy strikes a small friend group. Virgil takes one for the team. Roman wishes he had been paying more attention.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton & Thomas Sanders
Comments: 9
Kudos: 158





	1. Chapter 1

Thomas Sanders, Logan Mathews, Virgil Nieman, Patton Heart, and Roman “Princey” Anderson were walking home from after-school play rehearsal. All five of the friends were involved in Ridgewood High’s fall production:  _ Be More Chill _ . Princey--a senior and Theatre President (hence the royal nickname)--had scored the part of Jeremy Heere. Patton--a junior who was new to theatre, but had been in Choir since middle school--had gotten Michael Mell. Thomas--also a senior, with a lot of experience but never a major lead--was Jake Dillinger. Virgil--the only sophomore in the friend group, and the most self-conscious--was on stage crew. And Logan--another Junior, and the group’s resident genius--was the Student Director/Stage Manager. 

They were only two weeks away from the performance, so they were staying after every day for at least two hours. Needless to say, everyone’s stress levels were peaking as they hit dress rehearsals. Thomas lived only five minutes from the High School, so they walked there after practice for a snack and to do their steadily growing mountains of homework. They were all laughing and talking and singing snippets of songs from the Musical as they began to leisurely cross the street. Everyone was smiling, even Virgil. It all seemed so peaceful. 

Suddenly, a big, silver Toyota truck blazed out of the Student Parking area. The kid driving was barely paying attention, steadily accelerating as he rummaged around in his backpack for something. Virgil’s violet-gray eyes widened, his heightened Fight or Flight reflex kicking in as he dashed back to the curb. Patton was the next to notice. He quickly nudged Thomas and Logan like the mom friend he was, and they hastily joined Virgil on the curb. But Roman remained oblivious to the oncoming danger. He continued walking. Virgil wanted to call out to him, but his voice betrayed him in his terror. His other friends were frozen in horror.

Seemingly in slow motion, Virgil turned his head to view the truck, which was still accelerating far past the school speed limit. He turned back to look at his friend, who was singing “More than Survive” at the top of his lungs, and he realized two fundamental truths at the exact same time. 

The truck was not going to stop.

And Roman was going to get hit.

The lyrics Princey was singing almost matched Virgil’s motions: “I feel my body movin' through the air...See my converse walkin' over there...Take a shaky breath and I prepare…” And Virgil leapt off the curb towards his friend. It felt like everything was underwater, or in slow-mo; Virgil felt like he couldn’t run fast enough, the truck was still coming, and Roman off in a day-dream. 

Then Virgil caught Roman by the back of his red, white, and gold hoodie. He could hear his heartbeat pounding as he shifted his weight. With his momentum, he managed to fling the older teen back towards the others and out of danger. The senior landed on his butt one foot away from the curb. Understanding flashed in his honey-brown eyes as Patton scrambled to help him up, and his jaw dropped.

Unfortunately, the momentum that pushed Roman to safety was now pushing Virgil toward the car. He pushed off with his feet, trying to leap out of the way toward the opposite curb. And he almost cleared it.

Then Virgil felt a jolt of fiery pain and heard a sickening crack. His upper right leg made direct contact with the front bumper of the tall truck. He felt his femur snap, and was immediately engulfed in a pain more terrible than he ever imagined was possible. The collision caused his body to flip around mid-air and land near his friends. Compared to his leg, his crash on the asphalt barely registered as painful, though the tiny, still rational part of his brain realized he was going to have some pretty gnarly road rash.

The sophomore felt hands on his face, and realized they were wiping away his own hot tears. When had he started crying? He tried to figure out what was going on around him, but the deafening pain emanating from his broken leg made it hard to focus. He could feel all four of his friends surrounding him, but he couldn't tell who was who. Virgil suddenly felt arms under his armpit as someone--probably Thomas or Roman--attempted to move him. 

Then he screamed, the pain tripling as his leg shifted. The person holding him nearly dropped him in shock. Through the tears, Virgil heard a low, methodical voice speaking in a clipped tone. And though he couldn't comprehend a word, he felt safe knowing someone was there.

“I believe he may have snapped his femoral shaft. Moving him will result in more intense pain. Even without movement, Virgil is already in immense pain, insomuch that he most likely oblivious to his surroundings. He also may have concussed himself when he landed. Patton, please call an ambulance. Roman, hold his head and try to keep him still. Thomas, try to find Director Hall and see if she has access to any ice packs. I will contact Virgil’s family and let them know what has transpired.” Virgil managed to identify the speaker as Logan, but still had no idea what he said.

Virgil’s eyes flew open in fear as he felt the protective circle around him vanish, but all he could see was the color red with black-tinged edges. A pained whimper escaped through his clenched teeth, and he reached out, trying to keep his friends close. A reassuring hand was laid on his shoulder, and Virgil felt warm arms encircle his upper body. 

“It’s okay Virge,” a soothing voice above him murmured. The words still meant nothing to the hurt teen, but the tone made him feel safe. He relaxed, eyes slipping shut again. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“R-roman?” Virgil asked shakily. He was suddenly aware of just how hard he was shaking, and how his breaths were coming out in harsh, grating gasps. But he recognized the voice above him.

“Yeah bud.” Roman’s voice sounded strange to Virgil. It was tight, and sounded comforting, but with tinged of hysteria and worry. A drop of water fell on Virgil’s face, and the sophomore realized that Princey was choking back tears. “You saved me.” The senior sniffled. “I'm right here.”

“Roman…” Virgil murmured. His face and shoulders relaxed dramatically, to the point Roman began to panic. 

“V, you have to stay awake. Logan said you might have a concussion.” But while Virgil was regaining some comprehension, he felt a dark weight pushing him towards oblivion.

“I...I can't…” Virgil’s mouth felt like sandpaper as he tried to articulate why he couldn't stay awake. He felt dizzy, he was breathing much to fast, his heart was going a mile a minute, and he was tired. So, so tired. He opened his eyes and looked up at Roman blearily. “Everything hurts… I'm tired…”

Roman, thankfully, seemed to realize how serious the situation was. “Logan,” he nearly shrieked. “I-i think we’re losing him!”

Looking up from his phone that he’d been frantically trying to call Virgil’s mother and older siblings on, Logan’s eyes widened. “He has to stay awake!” The junior raced over, trying to ascertain what was happening. “Sleeping on a severe concussion could be fatal. Judging by how cool, clammy, and pale his skin is, as well as his rapid pulse and breathing, I believe he is also going into shock. Treating Shock is simple enough. Virgil is already lying down. If possible, you are supposed to elevate the person's feet about 12 inches unless their head, neck, or back is injured or you suspect broken hip or leg bones. So, since we know his leg is broken, we will omit that suggestion. Next, you turn the person on their side if they are vomiting or bleeding from the mouth. With both the shock and the concussion, vomiting is very likely.”

Roman leaned closer to Virgil. “V, do you feel nauseous at all? If you do, tell me, and I'll help you.”

Shaking his head weakly, Virgil struggled to stay awake. Suddenly, Thomas and Patton returned with Director Hall, the pretty, young theatre teacher who was several months pregnant. She had a semi-panicked look on her fair features as she knelt (with some difficulty) next to the hurt student. Patton and Thomas started activating the mountain of ice packs they’d been carrying.

At a questioning look from Logan, Patton spoke quietly. “The ambulance is on its way, but it's rush hour traffic. The estimate was 10-15 minutes minimum.”

Logan softly cursed under his breath, thoroughly surprising everyone around him. Logan barely ever swore, dismissing it as vulgar and juvenile. But desperate times call for desperate measures. 

“Virgil,” Roman said, kneeling across from his teacher. “Virgil, this is important. I’m going to tell you a story. And there’s going to be a test at the end, so you better pay attention!”

The injured sophomore blinked blearily up at his friend, struggling to focus on the older boy. He wanted to sleep, but he didn't want to let Roman down. So he sat in rapt attention as the story began.


	2. Chapter 2

“Once upon a time,” Roman dramatically began, “There was a handsome prince. His name was...um...Ryan! And he was on a mighty quest with his good friends, The Wizard Victor, The Healer Patrick, Sir Trevor, and Royal Advisor Liam.

“They were searching for a mystical item that could cure their kingdom of a terrible plague. It was a shield decorated with a mighty thundercloud! Its magic would ward off all kinds of curses. Victor knew where they could find it, so the all set forth!

“As they were journeying, the five heroes encountered many adventures. One time, Prince Ryan tripped over a tree root and tumbled right into the nest of a fearsome Dragon-witch! Sir Thom-I mean Trevor!-had to rescue him, and Victor used his magic to trap the creature. Then Patrick healed everyone's wounds while Liam lectured everyone about watching the trail for a solid half hour.”

Virgil heard his friends giggle, and managed a smile himself. Roman was so funny and creative! Virgil’s mind was still very murky, but he clung to the fanciful story like a lifeline.

“Another time,” Roman continued, “Prince Ryan was tricked by an evil elf named Squick. It promised that a magic talisman would help him remain Prince forever. Patrick tried to warn him it was a trick, but Ryan was already under the elf’s control. They fought, and Ryan banished Patrick from the group on the accusation of treason. Soon the whole party was affected, until Patrick managed to free them with a rare red herb. Squick was vanquished, and the talisman was destroyed.”

Virgil felt like the story was vaguely familiar, but couldn't place it. The story seemed to continue on for eternity, and Virgil realized he kept forgetting details, but found it was beginning harder and harder to pay attention. Black spots danced in his vision as Roman spoke, and Virgil knew he was going under. 

“Princey?” He felt bad interrupting the story, but he had to let his friend know what was happening. “I’m sorry…”

“For what V?” Roman asked, concern palpable.

“I...I can't…” his eyes drifted closed, and Virgil struggled to stay conscious. “stay…..awake anymore…” And Virgil lost his battle with the dark. The last thing he remembered clearly before he was consumed in the inky blackness was his friends beginning to panic, and the faraway sound of sirens.

**Author's Note:**

> this is a story I wrote forever ago, based on a fictional story told by one of my high school teachers. i figured I'd finish it up and post it, but it's so long it needs 3 chapters.
> 
> in other news, if yall would like to follow me on tik tok, that'd be cool. same username as on here.


End file.
